


A Little Excitement

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 14:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19200628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: Nothing breaks up monotony like having a friend's back against unfair accusations.





	A Little Excitement

**Author's Note:**

> For Prompt fill 91 Roll for It- got Hiravias, hirelings defending Caed Nua(used Keya), dispute between workers. I love Hiravias, but DANG he’s hard to write.

 

Hiravias had once bet himself that adventure followed Tavi like the aura of piss and misery trailed a town drunk, or the smell of pipeweed clung to Edér. If nothing else, the heavy air of boredom that hung over Caed Nua with her gone proved him right. Not that he particularly wished she’d taken him on this trip; they were visiting Defiance Bay and he’d had his fill of Dyrwoodan racism for the month, thank you very much.

But it wouldn’t be a terrible thing if he could find(or make) some excitement greater than two of the workers quarreling over cards. Hiravias took a healthy swig of his ale and tapped one finger against his chin as he ran through some options. All were discarded rather quickly; fun as it might be to fuck with Caed Nua’s various work crews, too many were involved in projects where jumpiness or startling could result in serious injury(or death) and that wasn’t what he wanted. Just a little excitement. Or at least something interesting. He strolled an idle lap of the of the fortress, kicking tufts of grass occasionally and finishing off his ale. He left the empty tankard balanced on a rock, wondering with some amusement how long it would take someone to find.

He was nearing the western barbican--the three quarters mark in his loop--when he bumped into Keya. Her fur was pricked up in points, and her hair damp with sweat, so he couldn’t resist teasing, “Good workout or good tumble?”

“Who says it wasn’t both?” Keya shot right back. “Things can get awful passionate and heated in the sparring ring,” she smirked, waggling her eyebrows. “It is much easier to find partners for the first one, though, so what do you think?”

“I think you have the satisfied look of a woman who just beat the ever-loving shit outta some poor sod who never in a thousand years woulda expected it,” Hiravias said, sizing her up. Despite the sweat, her breathing was mostly back to normal, but she still bore the satisfied air of someone who had proven a _much_ bigger threat than expected. 

Keya’s ears twitched as she nodded. “Yep. Some of the Watchers new blood hasn’t learned their fuckin’ lesson yet. I’m more than happy to educate them.”

Their banter was interrupted as a voice rang out across the grounds. “Oi! Mosslocks!”

Keya’s expression flattened, her jaw shifting in an irritated movement. “Here we go. Wondered how long it would take him.”

“Need back-up?” Hiravias muttered, not at all liking the look of the angry dwarf striding toward Keya as if on the warpath.

“Nah, I got this.” She crossed her arms and waited for the dwarf to get closer.  “What do you want, Gerren?”

“You know bloody well,” the dwarf growled, crossing his arms in a mirror of her pose. Somehow it looked more threatening on Keya. “Foreman told me you were the final say on wages.”

Keya tilted her chin up ever so slightly. “That’s right, Watcher leaves me in charge when she’s not here. I have final say in a lotta things.”

Gerren pulled out a pouch of coins and jingled it angrily. “This ain’t half of what I’m owed. Trust your kind to cheat a man.”

Hiravias’ eyes narrowed in outrage, but Keya beat him to any sort of rebuttal.  “Bullshit. You get paid for what you _work_. Not for what you show up and then slack away in a corner where you think no one’ll find you.”

He glared at her, eyes glittering. “You callin’ me lazy, you ratty little-”

“And greedy,” Keya said, almost cheerfully, shooting Hiravias a warning look as his ear folded back. “You did half a week’s work, you get half a week’s pay. If you don’t like it, you can go look for a job somewhere else, maybe somewhere easier to fleece.”

“That’s rich, comin’ from you, you uppity runt.” Gerren spat on the ground.  “Bilkin’ me of my wage an’ claimin’ it’s fair.” He threw the coin purse at her.

Keya snapped one hand up to catch it, leaning forward and gathering a good fistful of his beard in the other so she could pull him down to eye level. “You’re done.” She let go of his beard and shoved the coin purse into his chest. “ _This_ is what you earned, _this_ is what you get. Now get the fuck out of Caed Nua because I will not have this level of disrespect festering among the workers.”

For the first time in the confrontation, Gerren looked uneasy. “You... it ain’t your place, you can’t do that.”

Keya crossed her arms again and looked him dead in the eye. “The Watcher trusts me to run things while she’s not here. I can very much do that. And discord’s not welcome. Out.”

Gerren’s shoulders slumped as the full consequences of his belligerence hit and he headed to collect his things without a word.

Hiravias finally relaxed as the dwarf walked away. He hadn’t expected such a quick surrender. But then he caught a glimpse of the iron-hard resolve in Keya’s eyes and it made sense. “Nicely handled,” he muttered appreciatively. “Though if it were up to me, I’d’ve just mauled him and tossed him out on his ass.”

“That’s because I have something called restraint,” Keya needled with a smirk.  “Which you seem to lack.”

He grinned. “Must be why Tavi leaves _you_ in charge.”

“That, the leadership experience, a ‘ _fuck you’_ to her fancy-pants neighbors....” Keya shrugged. “There’s several reasons. But, yeah, not flying off the handle at insults was probably pretty high up there. I’m ‘more diplomatic’ than her, or somethin’ like that.” She rolled her shoulders and blew out a breath. “Still between the workout and that, I could use a drink.”

“Want some company to go with it?” Hiravias asked. He was still bored, and Keya was fun company. There were worse ways to spend his time.

“Sure, why not,” Keya laughed. “Drinking alone’s no fun anyway.”

“Excellent!” He clapped her on the back and tugged her toward Brighthollow.  “Just for that, I’ll share the good stuff.”

She snorted. “Berath’s ass, Hiravias, how bored were you?”

“Very,” Hiravias admitted glibly before changing the subject. “I’ve heard a lot of insult in my day, but _mosslocks_ is a new one.”

“It’s for this,” Keya explained, flicking her hair. The dozen-odd braids danced briefly before thumping back against her leather jerkin. “Since it’s... a shade of green. Guess ‘ _mosslocks’_ rolls better off the tongue than somethin’ involving algae. Some of them mean it in an almost friendly fashion, I _think,_ but for most it’s just another way to needle... what I am.”

“Eh, fuck them, then,” Hiravias shrugged. "There’re much better ways you could spend your time, anyway.”

“Like drinkin’ you under the table?” she grinned.

“Yeah, trying to drink me under the table would be a much better use of your time,” he agreed.

Keya laughed. “I think I’ve been challenged.”

They continued trading trash talk the rest of the way to Brighthollow, and Hiravias only spared one last look to ensure Gerren did what Keya said. This hadn’t been what he had in mind when he wished for excitement, but drinking his fellow orlan under the table would be entertaining, at least. And well worth the probably-impending hangover. He had a reputation to protect.


End file.
